Museum displays one-of-a-kind JFK artifacts

Friday

Nov 21, 2008 at 12:01 AMNov 21, 2008 at 6:19 PM

Wayne Lensing is a man with a passion for cars, history and auctions. In commemoration of the 45th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Lensing, owner of Historic Auto Attractions, will debut newly procured artifacts that will be added Saturday to the museum’s permanent collection.

Betsy Lopez Fritscher

Wayne Lensing is a man with a passion for cars, history and auctions. In commemoration of the 45th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Lensing, owner of Historic Auto Attractions, will debut newly procured artifacts that will be added Saturday to the museum’s permanent collection.

To coincide with the unveiling, the museum will give away special edition John F. Kennedy coins to the first 100 visitors.

Lensing hopes that families and baby boomers will visit this weekend to get in touch with history that is not told through books or movies, but by the actual historical objects that have lasted through time.

“I like items, not pictures or paperwork, but things people can see and relate to,” Lensing said. “We have part of the picket fence from the grassy knoll where conspiracy theorists believe he could have been killed, we also have the window from the sixth floor of the depository where Oswald (took his shot). This is important because we lost our president and everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when he was assassinated. It sticks in their minds.”

Among the relics to be showcased this weekend is the flag flown over the nation’s Capitol during the president’s funeral, several of Kennedy’s hats and even the shoes worn by Jack Ruby when he shot Lee Harvey Oswald while being escorted to an armored van.

Rockford resident Cathy Adams, a retired kindergarten teacher, is fascinated by the one-of-a-kind items related to Kennedy’s assassination. She has visited the museum many times to see them, as looking at history was something she enjoyed with her late husband.

“I’ve been up there a couple times,” Adams said. “With the new pieces, I’ll certainly make an effort to get up there in the near future. We should never, ever forget that it happened. Even the young kids in middle school and high school should be exposed to it, to know what has happened in our past. You can watch TV and read about it, but when you see it right there before your eyes it’s just wonderful.”

The 72-year-old said that Kennedy’s assassination is a vivid memory for her and others who watched their TV sets to see the news of the 35th president’s death.

“The 22nd of November will never be the same for those (of us) who lived through our president’s assassination,” Adams said. “I’ll never forget that. I was sitting at home feeding my baby, watching ‘As the World Turns’ when life exploded. I called my mother and told her to turn her TV on immediately. Our whole weekend, we were obsessed with the coverage. It was just unbelievable.”

Already in the museum’s collection is the 1956 Cadillac used by the Secret Service during the motorcade. The car is the actual vehicle that directly followed Kennedy in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Another point of interest for museum visitors is the ambulance used to transport Lee Harvey Oswald after he was shot. Also on display is a portion of wood from JFK’s inaugural stage, a watch Kennedy wore to the inauguration ball and the suit he donned for the big night.

Lensing, 60, opened the museum in 2001 after purchasing a limousine that belonged to aerospace pioneer Howard Hughes. Since then, he’s continued adding pieces he’s purchased from catalogs, auctions and private collections to expand his museum.

“I was always envious of the collections of others, so I set a goal for myself,” Lensing said. “I made it come true. I’ve got several things that I try to collect in the summer and make sure the museum’s always got a change. I got the Jack Ruby hat and suit that he wore, and we just bought one of JFK’s political hats.”

Items are valued from $500 to $100,000 and vary based on the significance of the cars and memorabilia. Lensing’s long-range plan for the 36,000-square-foot museum is to add 72,000 square feet in the next three to five years to bring in a section dedicated to all of the nation’s presidents, and even a replica of the Oval Office as it was during the Reagan administration.

“When we add on, I’ll add all the presidents in there and open it up for school programs,” Lensing said. “It’s not about money, it’s all about the heart and seeing people enjoy themselves and what they see in my museum. This is the 45th anniversary, and to this day there are still people asking what really happened.

“We want to know. We are more and more interested in our country nowadays, and we are concerned about our past and our futures. Kennedy getting assassinated wasn’t something that was supposed to happen.”

The museum, which combines history, entertainment and well-known cars from movies, TV shows, presidents and celebrities, is also home to several garments worn by Jacqueline Kennedy, designed by Oleg Cassini and Lilly Ann, including her funeral hat and veil.

Betsy López Fritscher can be reached at bfritsch@rrstar.com or (815) 987-1410.

If you go

Historic Auto Attractions, 13825 Metric Drive in Roscoe will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens and $6 for children ages 6 to 15. In addition to new John F. Kennedy memorabilia and other museum exhibits, a replica of Air Fore One open for touring. Visit historicautoattractions .com for more information.

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